The group had settled into a routine — training, sparring, and hanging out.
When it came to food, they often enjoyed the free meal provided by the inn, and occasionally treated themselves at various restaurants around the city.
Now, the entrance exam was just a day away, and Vael and Kiera felt as ready as they could be.
Every day over the past week had been a nonstop grind — perfecting technique, honing swordsmanship, and refining their mana control.
Now, all that was left was to relax and prepare mentally.
They had already registered for the exam, and thankfully, it had gone off without a hitch.
The Academy itself was located a few kilometers outside the city — close enough for convenience, far enough not to disturb daily life. It was surrounded by a dense forest, roughly a third the size of the one back in the Lisbo region, near the lab.
Fortunately, they hadn't needed to go all the way there just to register — that could be done in the city.
Still, they'd been informed that the exam would take place in the forest surrounding the Academy, and that only commoners and lower-ranking nobles would need to take it.
In hindsight, it made sense. The elite nobles had been consuming mana cores since they were toddlers. For the absolute best, it would be pointless to pit them against commoners.
The result would be obvious.
This was also one of the reasons the rebellion had been nearly crushed before the tribesmen joined the fight — the nobles held not just political power, but raw, overwhelming strength.
But for Vael and Kiera, this worked out. There probably wouldn't be any real competition.
Probably.
Of course, it was hard to say what the test would even be. A battle royale? A monster hunt? Something entirely unexpected?
Whatever it was, the exam would be broadcasted for the nobles to see, thanks to some new invention.
Vael wasn't sure what the device was exactly, but apparently it could capture moments in time and replay them elsewhere.
Fascinating.
He'd seen the word once in a newspaper. A camera, they called it.
Now, with just a few hours left before bedtime — earlier than usual to be in top shape — Kiera approached Vael while he was washing his face in the bathroom.
"Va— Serpes," she said through their mental link.
"Won't the nobles see our affinities tomorrow? Couldn't we be captured again?"
There was no fear in her voice. Just curiosity.
A fair question. It had happened before — why not again?
"I wouldn't lose sleep over it, Elena. Your combination of affinities just looks like a weird variation of Darkness. My Space is the only real giveaway.
But even then, we'd already be students by the time anyone acts. And we're not defenceless rebels anymore. We're Kingdom subjects now — and soon, we'll be protected by the Academy."
Kiera paused, mulling it over.
It was true — on paper, once they were enrolled, not even high-ranking nobles would be able to touch them without consequences.
But on paper didn't mean much.
People still gave in to greed. To power. To fear.
Truthfully, they might've been safer as rebels — at least under the ceasefire agreement. The Kingdoms had been violating it in secret, sure, but they wouldn't risk acting in public.
As commoners? Their protections were thinner.
Rebels could make noise. Cause problems.
Commoners? They could disappear.
Yes, technically, the Academy would shield them. But in the long run?
They'd be toast.
An "accident" here. A "misunderstanding" there.
And before anyone realized it, they'd be shipped back to the lab.
They could only hope that the Academy would protect them before some noble decides he wants to get his paws on them.